Well I'm happy with the Brainwavz M2 and my one and only universal. If I still wanted one I'd probably have bought the PR401 by now. I'm pretty happy with my portable setup right now so don't really find any need to upgrade esp since an upgrade would be very expensive. My desktop setup is another story however..

This thread gets tons of looks so I think I am going to jump on the bandwagon of "what upgrade makes sense for me". currently the IEMs I use (VB and soon to arrive Eterna) are fun, bassy sound sigs. I am looking for something that steps more into the detail realm...something to add some variety to my inventory. These would be the set I break out for acoustic music or stuff that has strong vocal presence. I still need some bass in there though. I think my J3 and BBE can help me bring this out in most IEMs so I am not too scared about that. I am intrigued by the Phonaks, Silver Bullet, RE0, RE0Zero, SW-Xscape, Meelectronics a151. Maybe a Thinksound product. What do you guys think?

If you want to maintain bass impact levels at above-flat and still get lots of detail, I'd go for the Xcape though I haven't heard the Phonak Perfect Bass.

This thread gets tons of looks so I think I am going to jump on the bandwagon of "what upgrade makes sense for me". currently the IEMs I use (VB and soon to arrive Eterna) are fun, bassy sound sigs. I am looking for something that steps more into the detail realm...something to add some variety to my inventory. These would be the set I break out for acoustic music or stuff that has strong vocal presence. I still need some bass in there though. I think my J3 and BBE can help me bring this out in most IEMs so I am not too scared about that. I am intrigued by the Phonaks, Silver Bullet, RE0, RE0Zero, SW-Xscape, Meelectronics a151. Maybe a Thinksound product. What do you guys think?

If you want to maintain bass impact levels at above-flat and still get lots of detail, I'd go for the Xcape though I haven't heard the Phonak Perfect Bass.

Thanks, after a day of reading around, those are the 2 that I am most inters ted in. Silver Bullet seemed nice but your comments about build quality leave me cautious.

I will not order from GD-audibase...I tried to get the eternas fro them and their payment system requires an SMS message be sent to your phone. 2 attempts and I didnt get a message. so I used my google voice number, same result. I contacted GD about it and they offered to let me pay with paypal if I payed an additional 7% upcharge. so that brought my total up to about $80 after shipping and surcharge. I cancelled and ordered my eternas from bugden for $67.50 shipped and used paypal. The SB and the Sunrise are OOS there too. its ok, I am in no rush.

So how big is the gap between the RE-0/RE-Zeroes and multiple-armature phones like the q-Jays, TF10s, etc? Also, you've made some disparaging comments on the UE 700's so where would they fall in there?

Sent Thomas an email so we'll see what happens. They sure are tempting - aesthetics are excellent and Turbine-style housings always fit me well

Quote:

Originally Posted by 50an6xy06r6n

So how big is the gap between the RE-0/RE-Zeroes and multiple-armature phones like the q-Jays, TF10s, etc? Also, you've made some disparaging comments on the UE 700's so where would they fall in there?

I don't think I can quantify a gap any more than I have with numerical scores. Diminishing returns are obviously a factor and so are personal preferences - I can see someone preferring the RE0 to the TF10 or q-JAYS or vice versa. I think the jump between the RE0 and TF10 in terms of overall proficiency is quite noticeable but, like most of the high bang/buck midrange earphones, the RE0 does certain things very well. As for the UE700, it's not that it's a poor earphone but rather that it really doesn't capitalize on the potential of the driver. I rate it around RE0 level or maybe a little below which is worse than any of the other $100+ dual armatures and a lot worse than the CK10, which uses the same driver.

So how big is the gap between the RE-0/RE-Zeroes and multiple-armature phones like the q-Jays, TF10s, etc?

I purchased Sunrise Xcapes (joker's SQ=8.75) when I was without my favorite Fischer DBA-02's (SQ=9.75) for a while. I find them remarkably similar, but always prefer the DBA's now that I've repaired them (from my carelessness, not their weakness). There can occasionally be a little more bass quantity with the Xcapes (sometimes even a little too much!), but I've always heard just the right amount and texture of bass, well-balanced with everything else, with the Fishers.

I've been struggling to figure out how to describe the differences between these two, and haven't come up with anything specific except what I just said - I always like the DBA's better. That said, I would have been quite happy with Xcapes if I'd bought those first.

I purchased Sunrise Xcapes (joker's SQ=8.75) when I was without my favorite Fischer DBA-02's (SQ=9.75) for a while. I find them remarkably similar, but always prefer the DBA's now that I've repaired them (from my carelessness, not their weakness). There can occasionally be a little more bass quantity with the Xcapes (sometimes even a little too much!), but I've always heard just the right amount and texture of bass, well-balanced with everything else, with the Fishers.

I've been struggling to figure out how to describe the differences between these two, and haven't come up with anything specific except what I just said - I always like the DBA's better. That said, I would have been quite happy with Xcapes if I'd bought those first.

If you think that's hard you should try having the RE-Zero and the Xcape. When I had the Xcape on loan they sound very similar t the RE-Zero. In fact I may go so far as to say that it may be the same driver but tweaked a bit differently. I believe Sunrise does some OEM for HifiMan so it might not be too far fetched.

If I could ask here, are these or these sellers of RE0's genuine? There is another UK source for them but they are more expensive and don't fill me with great joy and elation either. eBay has a similar price but it's eBay.. :)

What Comply tips fit the RE0's and if there are any UK'ers here, where did you get your RE0's from?

If I could ask here, are these or these sellers of RE0's genuine? There is another UK source for them but they are more expensive and don't fill me with great joy and elation either. eBay has a similar price but it's eBay.. :)

What Comply tips fit the RE0's and if there are any UK'ers here, where did you get your RE0's from?

Head-Direct I think is the official distributor of Hifiman products (or are they actually hifiman themselves? I'm not sure) Anyway, they should be reputable, and their site is backed by Amazon too.

A little greater on the whole but not a night-and-day difference. The greatest advantage is probably in that the CK10 doesn't really roll off at the low end and is very fast - it really sounds absolutely immediate when it comes to impact.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElcomeSoft

If I could ask here, are these or these sellers of RE0's genuine? There is another UK source for them but they are more expensive and don't fill me with great joy and elation either. eBay has a similar price but it's eBay.. :)

What Comply tips fit the RE0's and if there are any UK'ers here, where did you get your RE0's from?

Well, Head-Direct (1st link) is actually the manufacturer of the RE0 so I would certainly hope they are genuine. Ampcity is very much legit as well. Counterfeit RE0s is something I would not worry about.